The European Social Fund – how charities can make the most of new opportunities

The new European Structural and Investment Funds (ESIF) 2014-2020 Programme is due to start next year. Here’s how your organisation can take advantage of it.

EU funding for social inclusion

The European Social Fund (ESF) is set up to help people to become more employable and enter the labour market. The new programme, running from 2014 to 2020, will focus on:

skills

employment

social inclusion.

New rules require that at least 20% of ESF is allocated to activities promoting social inclusion and combating poverty. Over the lifetime of the Programme, this could be worth around £500m in England supporting disadvantaged people and communities taking steps towards the labour market.

The kind of activities aimed at promoting social inclusion will have particular focus on reaching and supporting those with complex and multiple barriers, improving their skills, and helping them gain qualifications in order to move closer to the labour market. These activities could include:

helping to build confidence and personal development

initial help with basic skills

taster work experience, including voluntary work.

Some future ESF activities will also fund di gital inclusion such as improving digital literacy and competency for the most disadvantaged.

Applying for funding and finding match funding

When the programme starts next year, there will be different routes for applying for funding. Around 30% of all ESF will be available as a grant or a contract and potential applicants will be required to source their own match funding.

Some LEP areas have selected Community Led Local Development as one way of spending part of their Social Inclusion allocations: in this case too the Local Action Groups, who will drive the strategy, will also have to source the match funding to carry out activities in specific deprived geographic areas.

The Big Lottery Fund is the main opt-in for Social Inclusion and anti-poverty activities, and is planning to offer cash match, alongside ESF to each individual project. The Department for Work and Pensions is the opt-in for Employment and the Skills Funding Agency, for skills, traineeships and apprenticeships. The National Offender Management Service will be supporting offenders and ex-offenders to re-enter the labour market.

Details of the application processes are being worked up for all entry routes and we expect the final mechanisms to be confirmed early in 2015.

Preparing for the 2014-2020 programme

The UK Partnership Agreement was recently adopted by the European Commission, but they are still in the process of agreeing elements of the 2014-2020 ESIF Operational Programmes – the documents that detail priorities, funding allocations and targets for the Programmes.

The bad news is that this will result almost certainly in further delays to the launch of the ESIF Growth Programme with funding not being available before mid-2015 or later.

The good news is that the Big Lottery Fund has awarded £630,000 in development grants to 36 organisations, mainly from voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations, to help raise awareness within England’s VCSE sector of the opportunities available through the ESF.

These 36 local contact points across England, will also provide advice and guidance on the new ESF programme and help local partners and organisations discuss the social inclusion needs identified in your area and how best to tackle those priorities.

A list of the awarded organisations from your area and details on how to contact them are available on the Big Lottery Fund’s website.

What happens next?

If you’re thinking about applying for EU funding in the future, you should:

register your interest with the Big Lottery Fund’s Building Better Opportunities programme to be kept informed of developments.

book your free place at NCVO’s national event on the European Structural and Investment Funds: from policy to practice – how will the Voluntary and Community sector engage in the new Programme on 10 December 2014.

4 Responses to The European Social Fund – how charities can make the most of new opportunities

Franklin College is a 6th form college in an area of high social deprivation (Grimsby). We are not a community group or a social enterprise, but nor are we a profit making organisation.
We are always looking to expand our studentship, and assist those who want to improve their employability skills.
Would our organisation be eligible to apply for funding from the ESF?

Hi Liz
Thanks for your question.
In terms of being eligible, from what you describe, your college would be able to apply for ESF in the new 2014-2020 programme. As in the current EU Structural Funds programme 2007-2013 there are no sectoral allocations and all funding will be distributed via an open and competitive transparent process.

It looks like your local enterprise Partnership is Humber LEP – check their proposed Skills Programme in their ESIF strategy (link to the ESIF strategies above).

We are a small stand alone charity working with single homeless teenage girls aged 16/19.One of our aims is to connect the young people into Employment, Education and or Training.
Would this type of work be eligible for EU funding.
Regards,
Jim Buggy.

Hello Jim. Thanks for your question.
Yes that type of work could be eligible for ESF funding. Young people are a priority in the new programme and what you describe fits with the idea of social inclusion. However, all projects and activities must meet local priorities. Please check the ESIF strategy of your Local Enterprise Partnership to see the kind of priorities already identified in their plan.
You say you are a small charity – one thing you should be aware of is the possibility that ESF will be distributed via large contracts and grants. You may want to consider being involved in consortia in order to apply for the funding.
One last thing, each LEP should have a voluntary and community sector representative in their governance structures; I would suggest that you make contact with your LEP to find out who that person is in order to start discussions now about the new ESF programme.

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